1341 SHORT COURSE MANDARIN CHINESE

Transcription

1 CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS Cambridge Pre-U Certificate MARK SCHEME for the May/June 2015 series 1341 SHORT COURSE MANDARIN CHINESE 1341/02 Paper 2 (Chinese Culture), maximum raw mark 30 This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners meeting before marking began, which would have considered the acceptability of alternative answers. Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers. Cambridge will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes. Cambridge is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2015 series for most Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level components. IGCSE is the registered trademark of Cambridge International Examinations.

2 Page 2 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper The Paper is divided into two sections. Principal Subject candidates are required to answer two questions in total, one from each section. Short Course candidates are required to answer one question, from either section. Answers must be written in English and should be about words in length. Answers will be assessed for Content and Structure according to the criteria below. Content (25 marks) Structure (5 marks) The paper is intended to test candidates' knowledge and understanding of cultural topics and ability to use this knowledge to answer questions in a clear and focused manner. Great value is placed on evidence of a firsthand response and thoughtful, personal evaluation of what candidates have chosen to study. Candidates may have been encouraged to depend closely on prepared notes and quotation: quotation for its own sake is not useful, although it will gain credit if used appropriately to illustrate a point in the answer. Candidates should write in a coherent, structured and effective way. The writing should show a sense of both organisation and direction, displaying clarity, balance and especially in stronger candidates fluency. Candidates are not penalised for specific deficiencies in spelling, punctuation and grammar. However, the cumulative effect of substantial problems in these areas is likely to influence judgements concerning the overally clarity and effectiveness of the writing. Candidates will not tend to show all the qualities or faults described in any one mark band. Examiners will attempt to weigh all these up at every borderline, in order to see whether the work can be considered for the category above. Examiners will take a flexible approach, and even when there are obvious flaws in an answer, reward evidence of knowledge and especially any signs of understanding and careful organisation. Content Excellent Excellent ability to organise material in relation to the question. Comprehensive response with an extensive number of relevant points targeting the terms of the question with precision. Displays detailed knowledge and sustained analysis Very good A thoughtful and well-argued response to the question. Includes a large number of relevant points, well illustrated. Displays thorough knowledge, good understanding and analysis of the material Good A well-argued response to the question. Includes a good number of relevant points, most of which are developed and illustrated. Some limitations of insight, but a coherent approach Satisfactory A mainly relevant response to the question. Shows fair knowledge and understanding of the material. Includes a fair number of relevant points not always linked and/or developed Weak An uneven OR basic response to the question. Shows some knowledge and understanding of the material. Includes some relevant points, but development and illustration are limited. Contains padding AND/OR has some obvious omissions OR is largely narrative/description.

3 Page 3 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper 1 5 Poor Little attempt to answer the question. Only elementary knowledge and understanding of the material. Makes very few relevant points and even these are largely undeveloped and unsubstantiated. OR a response which makes hardly any attempt to address the terms of the question but which displays a basic general knowledge of the material. 0 No rewardable content Structure 5 Very good A well-structured and coherent piece of writing, with ideas and arguments clearly linked throughout. All paragraphs well constructed. Includes a comprehensive introduction and conclusion. 4 Good A clear structure, with logical presentation of ideas. Most paragraphs well-constructed. Includes an adequate introduction and conclusion. 3 Satisfactory Some success in organising material and ideas into a structured piece of writing. A reasonable attempt to paragraph but weakness in introduction and conclusion. 2 Weak Some attempt to organise material and ideas into a structured piece of writing. Many single-sentence paragraphs or no attempt at paragraphing. Organisation of ideas not always logical. 1 Poor No attempt to organise material and ideas into a structured piece of writing. Incoherent. Ideas introduced in no apparent order. 0 No rewardable structure INDICATIVE CONTENT Questions are open to interpretation and, therefore, the following notes on are not intended to be prescriptive but to give an indication of some of the points which could be made in response to each question. They are by no means exhaustive. Principal Subject candidates choose two questions in total, one from each of the sections below, and answer it in English. Short Course candidates choose one question in total, from either section, and answer it in English.

4 Page 4 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper SECTION 1: TOPICS IN CHINESE CULTURE 1 The Founding of the People's Republic of China (a) What did the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist government each hope to gain by their temporary alliance during the Second United Front ( ), and to what extent did they both achieve their aims? Concrete examples and an analytical approach are required in an assessment of what each hoped to gain and the extent to which they were successful. Candidates will need to refer to the following: National Unity Victory over Japan Nationalist desire to contain the Communists Communist desire to consolidate 1941 New Fourth Army Incident (b) In the early 1950s, Mao said, Our present policy is to control not eliminate capitalism. To what extent was Mao s policy put into practice during the period ? There is no single correct answer to this question. Candidates can make their own argument, as long as it is backed up by concrete examples. They may decide that Mao controlled capitalism, but that as time went on, he was more intent on socialist transformation and eliminating it. Candidates may include some of the following: Land reform Early support of the national bourgeoisie in New Democracy and encouragement of enterprise, but political ambivalence Nationalised industry development and also the development of urban and rural capitalism 1950 Victory Bond Campaign Taxation Arms donation campaign The positive effects of contracts to do with the Korean War 3 antis, 5 antis Industrialisation and Soviet style economic planning October 1955 Mao announced a radical speed up of socialist transformation of industry and commerce.

5 Page 5 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper 2 Chinese Economic Trends since 1978 (a) Deng Xiaoping s reform and opening up policy initiated the greatest poverty-reducing programme in China s history. Evaluate this statement with reference to Deng Xiaoping s reforms in the decade after 1978, giving specific examples to support your response. Candidates need to outline in the introduction their approach to the question in the introduction. Evaluation of the extent to which Deng Xiaoping s reform and opening up policy initiated the greatest poverty-reducing programme in history will need to show knowledge of economic growth rates, of how wealth increased and poverty declined in China in the decade after 1978 and illustration of it; candidates must read the question and focus on the detail of Policies which Deng implemented to achieve this might include some of the following: Reform in the Countryside and the Household Responsibility System Open Door Policy Four Modernisations One Child Policy Special Economic Zones Town and Village Enterprises Foreign trade (b) Representing 21% of the world s population, China has only 9% of the planet's available cultivable land. Evaluate the progress China has made in developing its agricultural sector since 1978 in order to be able to feed its population. Candidates need to show a real understanding of the first sentence of the question; this will necessitate an understanding of China s geography and also of how cultivable land has been built on since They then need to evaluate the progress which China has made in developing the agricultural sector. They could include some of the following: Reform in the countryside and the household responsibility system Voluntary agricultural collectives, but small plots of land Food consumption patterns Migration Investment in agriculture Imports and exports Grain security and move to commercial crops Low rural incomes and land requisition

6 Page 6 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper 3 Emerging China: Population, Environment and Migration (a) Discuss the pressures on the quantity and quality of water in China and the extent to which the government (at national or local level) has been successful in developing policies to deal with these pressures. In discussing the pressures on the quantity and quality of water, candidates will talk about urbanisation and industrialisation and the drive for both putting pressure on water supply; low precipitation in the North; over-abstraction of groundwater, etc. When discussing quantity, they will also need to discuss the pressures on quantity of water with respect to flooding. In all cases, candidates should include specific examples to illustrate their statements. An analysis of the success of the development of policies to deal with these pressures might include some of the following: Discharge fee system Green Hanjiang and the Huai River protectors Provincial versus central concerns Economic development versus environmental devastation Mekong Water transfer scheme Yangtse Dam State Environmental Protection Agency and local Environmental Protection Bureau North-south water transfer (b) A high level of urbanisation is generally recognised as an indicator of the modernisation of a country. Give specific examples to illustrate China s rapid urbanisation and discuss the extent to which this statement is true with respect to the whole of China. Candidates will need to refer to some specific data e.g.: % in cities; %; % Between 1985 and 1995 Shanghai s urban area grew by 37% Growth in number of very large, large, medium-sized and small cities It will then be up to them the angle they wish to take in the argument, but they might want to talk about some of the following: East/West developmental disparity Urban/rural developmental disparity Differences between cities utilities, pollution etc. Building of Chinese cities traditional versus modern Rural migrant population Spatial patterns of cities and housing displacement Encroachment of countryside Large, low paid (and in some places non-mechanised) work force

7 Page 7 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper SECTION 2: CHINESE LITERATURE AND FILM 4 Love in a Fallen City and Other Stories, Eileen Chang (a) Discuss how Eileen Chang portrays a society in transition in Aloeswood Incense and one other story. Candidates can choose Aloeswood Incense and one other story to illustrate their answers. There are plenty of examples in Aloeswood Incense which could be usefully employed to illustrate the interwoven nature of old and new. A story as short as Sealed Off could also be successfully used. Again there is no one answer or particular line. A well-argued essay backed up by reference to the text is required. Candidates must remember the evaluative nature of the question. It is not a descriptive essay, but must focus on the extent to which society is in transition. (b) Eileen Chang s depictions of domestic relations are a key strategy of her fiction. How far would you agree with this statement? Discuss with reference to two or three stories. No particular line is required, but a well-argued essay which shows insights into the novel and is backed up by specific references. Candidates would be best advised to choose two to three stories to illustrate their answers. Clearly the stories are rich in details of domestic relations. Candidates might choose The Golden Cangue or Love in a Fallen City to analyse the extent to which Eileen Chang s depictions of domestic relations are the key strategy of her fiction.

8 Page 8 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper 5 The Boat to Redemption, Su Tong (a) The Boat to Redemption is a parable about the journeys we take in our lives, the distance between the boat of our desires and the dry land of our achievement. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Illustrate your answer with close reference to the text. To answer this question effectively, candidates need to plan carefully and give concrete examples to illustrate points made to support or counter the argument that the novel is a parable about the journeys we take in our lives. There is clearly no one correct answer to this essay. A well-structured essay with well-chosen illustrations to back up points made is required. Candidates need to make sure that they are coming back to the question to what extent and evaluating, rather than merely describing (b) Discuss the relationship between father and son in The Boat to Redemption. To what extent is the narrator (Dongliang) defined by this relationship? No particular line is required, but a well-argued essay which shows insights into this pivotal father-son relationship and is backed up by specific references. The argument can be built on the candidate s own insights and observations. The approach to the essay should be analytical, rather than descriptive. 6 Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie (a) How far would you agree that the film Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a realistic portrayal of China in the Cultural Revolution period? To answer this question effectively, candidates will clearly need to have some background knowledge about the Cultural Revolution. They should then be in a position to discuss what aspects of the film are, in their opinion, a realistic portrayal of the Cultural Revolution and what aspects may not be quite so realistic. The best candidates may show an awareness of the analysis of the film by film critics. There is no single correct answer, but candidates should build their argument with close, specific reference to the film and concentrate on analysis rather than description. (b) In the film Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, discuss the character of the Little Chinese Seamstress and analyse the role she plays. Candidates need to discuss the character of the Little Chinese Seamstress with the points they make about it backed up by specific reference to the film. The question, however, seeks analysis as well as discussion and candidates need to apply themselves to the task of a careful analysis of her role in the film too. There is no single correct answer, but the argument must be backed up by evidence from the film.